Stump Town

In this episode of The Women of Death Row podcast hosts Amanda and Mariel explore the case of Lisa Graham. Relying on monstersandcritics.com, the news on Alabama.com, mycrimelibrary.com, and the Ledger-Enquirer as sources, Amanda shares Lisa’s story. In May 2015, Lisa was sentenced to death in Alabama for hiring Kenneth Walton to kill her 21-year-old daughter, Shea Graham. Shea had recently been arrested on an aggravated assault charge in a drive-by shooting case in Georgia but was released after her parents posted a $100,00 bond on her behalf. However, Lisa expected her daughter to skip town, and the financial ramifications of such an action represent the suspected motive behind Lisa’s next steps. Lisa hired family friend Walton, who also worked for the family construction business, to kill Shea, and provided him with a 9mm pistol. Shea’s friends testified that the last time they saw her, she was leaving a gas station with Walton, who had picked her up under the pretense of finding her a car so she could leave town.

On July 5, 2007, Shea’s body was found in rural Alabama by a passerby. The body was half nude on the side of a dirt road, and Shea had apparently been shot twice in the head and four times in the chest before being run over and abandoned. After hearing the testimony of friends who witnessed Walton pick up Shea in his truck, police questioned him and quickly received a confession. Walton readily admitted his actions and explained Lisa’s role in the crime. Police then found the 9mm pistol in the care of Lisa’s neighbor, affectionately called “Papa,” to whom she had given the gun for cleaning. Walton pled guilty, offered gruesome details of his crimes, and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Lisa’s trial, however, was a long time coming. The case passed through many hands and faced a number of appeals and delays before finally being tried. Lisa, who has told a number of witnesses that Shea was ruining her life and that she’d kill Shea if she could, was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Her appeals after the trial were unsuccessful, and the conviction has been upheld.

While Amanda and Mariel agree that the actions of both Lisa and Walton were appalling, they are intrigued by the different sentences given to each, and consider the possibility of gender bias underlying the discrepancy. Moving forward, they also discuss a variety of other topics, from Lisa Montgomery and approaches to the death penalty, to the recent holidays, to their current favorite television shows and podcasts. The hosts comment on The Office, a recent study of events following the Holocaust, and even - going down an extensive rabbit trail - a couple of strange diseases and the unusual way residents of “Nub City” found a way to get money!

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